Family
by Inkalilien13
Summary: After searching for a while, they finally find Keith after the wormhole incident; only now things are a little different with the Red Paladin. The simple change has Lance realizing Keith may mean more to him than he thought and Keith, well his feelings aren't news to him. Then of course, they still have to deal with the Galra and Keith's odd habit of turning purple.


_**A/N**_ _ **Wow it's been a while hasn't it? Anyway here is this thing. It the beginning of what I hope will go through at least s2 ad possibly other seasons later but who knows.**_

 _ **Warnings are pretty much there. No triggers I believe but if you catch one let me know and I'll throw it up here.**_

 _ **Pairing:**_ _**Klance**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Voltron Legendary Defender. If I did Keith would be a little more Galra like in appearance, Lance and he would have had a much warmer reunion and SPOILER Shiro wouldn't have just vanished at the end of s2.**_

It's cold. That's the first thing his mind really registers; colder than the desert at night but it gets warmer almost too quickly, throwing his hazy mind for a loop. He peels his eye lids back, realizing he's been in one of the pods in the infirmary just before he stumbles forward only for large arms to catch him. One is a strange metal and the other firm flesh. Shiro.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" It's Shiro's voice though he hardly recognizes it through the haze, only knowing because the chest against his forehead rumbles with the words.

"…woozy."

"Understandable, you were quite injured Keith. We were lucky we found you when we did." Despite the slowly clearing muffle over his senses it's not like he knows anyone else with that distinct lilt and feminine tone.

"h'bad?"

"You…your heart stopped once." Hunk. The big guy sounds a lot smaller than he is. "We thought you wouldn't make it."

"I wasn't worried. Mullet-head's too stubborn to die." Even Keith, as out of it as he is, can detect the relieved waver in his tone. He's close by, voice sounding like he's almost right next to him.

Pidge hasn't said anything but he does feel a small hand against his back and he knows without being told that the little genius is glad he's okay. Keith is just happy to see them, to hear their voices and be back with them after so long. Three months after the wormhole being screwed up by the psychotic Galran Druid and he's finally back with what has become the only family-

 _Small hands pressing into his side, tiny scared pink eyes with gold pupils. "Daddy?"_

" _It's okay, I'm okay." He's not, he's not at all and he knows it but at least they're far away from the soldiers now. "Are you hurt?"_

" _No but- but you're bleeding-"_

" _Shh, it's okay, it'll be fine." He has to bank on a miracle, something-_ _ **anything**_ _. He can't die now. He can't leave her alone. Red nudges his mind gently, reminding him that she will do her best by the tiny little girl in his lap._

 _He's so tired._

" _Daddy, stay awake! Please-"_

Yuna.

"I know you aren't all together yet," Shiro's voice is helping eliminate the rest of the fuzz and Keith needs to get to his feet, needs to demand where she is but the energy is hard to gather even with the adrenaline and panic starting to crawl through him. "But maybe you can explain why there's a child on board Red that refuses to leave? Red won't let us near her either."

She's okay. She's with Red.

He still has to see her. He knows, _he knows_ , she isn't well. She won't be handling this well even with Red there. There's something, very familiar, poking the back of his mind questioningly. The moment he responds Red is there, filling his mind with worry and helplessness and anger because she can't do anything more than she has been. Red tears through him, giving him a surplus of strength that makes him gasp a second before he surges to his feet and darts out of the infirmary heedless of the shouts and pelting footsteps behind him.

Red's already lowering herself, mouth opening to from a ramp just as he makes it to her hanger, feet sliding against slick metal floors. A tiny body collides with his, knocking him back the two steps up the ramp he's taken but he doesn't fall back. Instead he falls forward, hitting his knees and clutching the sobbing form as he curls around her.

"It's okay, I'm okay. We're safe. I'm here." He sooths, carding a hand through dirty black hair and rocking her back and forth. There's a slight tremor from the ground but he already knows it's Red. The lion is shifting so they're hidden between her paws and under her head. A low, warning growl is issuing from her throat to keep the others away. He's thankful. He doesn't want them to meet her when she's like this, doesn't want her to even think about anyone but he and Red until she's calm.

Hours later she's asleep against him. He's soothed her tears and let her check him over for wounds, played games with her and taught her a few more words in Korean and helped with her Japanese pronunciation. Red has played games with her, Altean riddles Red can remember from her former Paladin, and by the time she falls asleep she has returned to the happy ball of sunshine with her smiles and laughter. He's not foolish enough to think it's over, he knows she'll cling to him for a few days especially around the others because they're strangers, and it's likely her nightmares will return possibly worse than before.

For now though, she's tired enough to sleep through the talk he needs to have with the others. He can already guess that they'll try and convince him to find someplace safe for her on a peaceful planet; that's not an option and he'll make sure they know it.

Red stays present in the back of his head, growing a bit stronger when he pauses in front of the lounge door where he can hear them talking.

' _It will be fine._ ' He's never been more thankful to her. Red and he have been on the same page from the moment she accepted him as her Paladin. They are both creatures of instinct, both with a feral ferocity within them. It's her that's taught him to keep the hurricane contained until it's needed, taught him to hone his instincts into something more than a general feeling. It's also her that's told him again and again that he is filling his newest role, that of parent, as best he can. She purrs at his thoughts, preening happily before settling down. He knows she's paying attention to him, especially to what will be going on in just a moment so she can offer what she can if she's needed.

He takes another breath, looking at Yuna again. She's bigger than she was, much healthier now that she's been able to eat full meals. She needs a bath, her tanned skin with it's smatterings of dark red and gold scales is stained with days old blood and dirt. Her adorable dark red, nearly black, wings need to be looked over. The scales look dry and irritated but nothing he can't fix. Her ears are pointed which is normal though the pink-ish red markings under her eyes are hardly visible and he reaffirms the thought of a bath once this is over with. A peek down the back of her shirt shows how stressed she's been as the normally silver pale scars are a blotted angry red. That he knows will be fixed with the rest she's getting and a warm meal after her bath.

The room goes quiet when he finally enters and no one speaks up even after he's settled on the couch, situating the little girl so her face is nestled into his chest. He'd lay her down but there's too much a chance she'll roll onto her wings and he knows that will only hurt them more; he doesn't really want to put her down either. He's too relieved that they're both alright and too afraid that if he lets her go for long he'll realize that he's actually dead. She's been his lifeline for this long, she'll remain that lifeline for a long time to come too.

"This is Yunalesca, or Yuna as Red and I call her." He starts, glancing around and noting that he has their undivided attention though Allura and Coran seem to be trying to figure Yuna out. "When I crashed on Bragga I was pretty bad off, probably would have died and Red…she wasn't good either. Yuna found us. Red was awake enough to sense that Yuna was compatible with her and managed to bond with her a lot like she is to me, asked her to get help for me. Yuna dragged me all the way back to the cave she was in and patched me up. Red said I was out for nearly a week."

"A…however old she is dragged you to a cave?" Lance questioned, eyebrows high on his forehead.

"Seven and yes. Don't be so surprised she's half Rylan and half Altean." He held up a hand to stop any questions, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Yuna's father was Altean and had hidden on Bragga and met Yuna's mother. Most of the Rylan were rebelling against the Galra. It's not very detailed on how, all that was written in his journal were mostly stories about he and Yuna's mother, things she might need to know, survival tips, any advice he could think of. Yuna was six when the Galra stormed her village. She said her mother hid her in their house…"

Keith stops for a second, carding his fingers through her greasy hair and managing a half smile when she nuzzles closer to him with an unintelligible murmur. "She saw all of it though. She has nightmares about watching everyone being shot or beaten to death- she's the only one that made it out. She was terrified of me at first, even though Red kept telling her it was okay. It took me days to get her to talk and a few more before she'd even sit next to me. While Red and I healed I ended up teaching her a bunch of different things to pass the time, and I guess to thank her too since she was the one hunting for food and helping me. A few days after Red finished repairing a couple of Galra scouts doing a check of Bragga found us. They took us by surprise and grabbed Yuna before I could, said something about selling her- I really didn't want to listen and most of it's a blur but when my head cleared I had Yuna and was halfway to Red. After that we started planet hopping searching for you and getting supplies when we needed it." He chuckled after a second, "I didn't realize how boring it could get stuck in a tiny room in the middle of space so we made games. She can now speak four languages- Rylan, Common, Korean and Japanese though she's still got a little to learn with Korean and she mispronounces some of the Japanese words."

"That's…Keith it's not- and I can see-"

He's really not surprised Shiro's fumbling for words. Keith is well aware that they are likely shocked he's good with kids- hello, raised in an orphanage where the oldest take care of the youngest- and on top of that Shiro is obviously attempting to say what everyone else is thinking: it's too dangerous for her.

"She's staying." He's firm with it, steeling his eyes and nerves. "She's tougher than you think. The fight we were in right before you found us? She took down _four_ of the droids by herself. The only reason I'm like this was because there was a bomb and I didn't exactly remember in all my panic that as a Rylan fire and heat aren't going to do a thing to her. Besides she _can_ pilot Red, maybe not in a fight but she can."

"She's staying." It's actually Allura. Keith honestly expected Lance to back him up first, Lance has several children in his family after all. Then again Allura and Coran have thought they were the only Altean survivors and he's aware enough to know Allura has a soft spot for cute things. "She'll have to be trained to protect herself, of course, and she won't be going on missions for any reason but…Zarkon will do anything to wipe out any remaining Altean survivors, even halflings." Her smile turns just a little mischievous, "Besides, I think parenthood suits you, Keith. She _did_ cry for her Daddy when tackling you earlier, did she not?"

"Yeah. Yeah she did." He isn't about to deny it for any reason. He's always been fond of kids though never on the scale of wanting his own but Yuna is something different. He'd been terrified and happy all at once when she'd first called him that and now, only weeks later, it's hard to imagine her not calling him Daddy.

"This…" Pidge adjusts her glasses. "Will take some getting used to."

"Alright. Is there anything we can do for her? Certain types of food?" Hunk questions, nodding like he already knew this was the way it would go. Knowing Hunk he probably had, the Yellow Paladin is observant and frankly Keith has found himself turning to him if Pidge isn't around- those two know most if not all of his secrets, the few he actually has.

"Lots of protein. Rylan eat more meat than anything but fruits are also good. Nothing with reinamine, she's allergic to it. Don't be shocked if she eats fire either, she likes doing that and it's perfectly healthy."

"Bad experience?"

"Scared the hell out of the first time she did it right before we left Bragga. I hadn't gotten to that part in Kilo's journal and I thought she was going to die."

"Okay but what about her scales?" Lance interrupts, leaning in rather close to inspect her wings. One of them twitches like she senses him so the other backs off a little. "They don't look good."

"She just needs a bath a good meal. Most of it's just from stress. I'm giving her a bath and grooming her scales once we're done here. Ah, don't touch her wings either. Once she knows you it'll probably be fine but…" He presses his lips thin. He knows they won't react badly in a way that would reflect on her, instead their likely to be angry _for_ her but he needs to make sure they understand that the rules he sets are serious. It's not like he has many that aren't a no brainer anyway. He still lifts the hem of her tattered shirt so they can see the scars, lowering it when he sees the darker looks on their faces. "A Galran soldier did it when her village was attacked, tried to rip her wings off when she tried to fly away. They get like this with stress…they'll be better in a few days."

"I've got some lotion that might work for her scales, bought it at the last market we stopped at." Lance mutters scowling towards the floor.

"Go take care of both of you." Coran tells him, climbing to his feet and nodding. "Hunk, would you help me concoct a dinner that might work for little Yuna? I'm afraid I'll need to modify the…food-goo before she can eat it as one of the ingredients is reinamine."

"No problem."

"Pidge? Lance? Would you help me locate some clothes for her? I'm certain I have something from when I was a child but it could take a while by myself." Allura questions, trailing out of the room with the two at her heels.

Shiro remains, silently following him to his room. It's more comforting than anything. Shiro's always had his back from day one- it'd never mattered why or when to him.

"I'm going to start a bath. Stay in here with her? If she wakes up just tell her I'm in the next room and that you're my friend Shiro. I've told her about you guys so she shouldn't freak out now."

Shiro feels himself nod.

He is very curious about the child on Keith's bed. She's a little on the small side for a seven year old but then again he can't honestly compare her to a human child either. The wings on her back remind him of a dragon and the splashes of scales shift slightly in color with the lighting and it's actually rather pretty, entrancing even. It's not until he is looking over her face- an adorable button nose- and meets vibrant almost electric pink eyes with molten gold pupils that he realizes she's awake.

He tries to say something but he can't quite get the words out. They're stuck in his throat because her eyes are _soul searching_ with how deep and intently they're staring into his own; he feels bare under her gaze even when it shifts to analyze him like he's prey under the sharp eyes of a predator.

Then her eyes are softer, shier as she slowly pushes herself up and fidgets before speaking. "Yo- Your Shiro…aren't you?" She asks, her voice quiet but curious, looking at his metal arm like she's trying to memorize the patterns of it. "You have a robot arm like Daddy said you did."

"I am. It's very nice to meet you, Yuna." She's falls quiet her head tilted towards her lap but he can see her eyes flickering to his arm. "Does it bother you? I can cover it."

Yuna simultaneously ducks and shakes her head, wings fluttering a little at her back. "No…can I look at it?"

It's still timid like she's afraid to ask but there's so much curiosity and wonder in her tone that he can't help but smile. "Of course. Can I sit next to you?" Instead of that she bites her lip for all of two seconds before raising into the air with a movement from her scaled wings, hovering across the room a little shakily before slowly landing at his side. She's still wobbly and stifling yawns. "Can I pick you up?" Another searching look lasting all of two seconds before she nods, letting him help her into his lap. He avoids her wings, letting his flesh hand rest against the side of her not against his mid-section as her fingers start exploring his prosthetic.

"The Galra took your arm." She says quietly, glancing up at him with hesitant but knowing pink eyes.

Shiro wants a lot of things at that second. He wants to wipe the knowledge out of her eyes because this is a child, the grief and understanding _should not be there_. He wants to cry because no one else understands, even Allura and Coran don't understand what it's like to be completely at the mercy of the Galra even if they understand the loss that comes from it. He wants to protect this child and every other one in the galaxy from that pain.

"Yes." He answers, keeping his palms lax when they want to clench into fists.

"They took a lot from me too." She whispers, small fingers pulling her shirt up so he can see her back much clearer than he had before. Bile rises in the back of his throat imagining her alone, terrified and injured so badly.

"They do that." Because he doesn't know how to answer that. Then he does and he tugs the zipper of his own shirt down. "I've got scars too."

She traces them for a second, eyes lingering before she gives a smile. It's soft, understanding, knowing and sad- sad enough he can see the tears she won't cry. "We match."

"We do."

"Shiro?"

"Hm?"

"If you get the nightmares too, I'll help you if you help me. Daddy worries so much, he doesn't get enough sleep because of them."

He isn't sure how to reply, again, so he just gives her a just as sad smile back. He hides his surprise when she settles her previously tense wings down against his flesh arm, giving him a look of trust he immediately swears he's not going to betray. Then she hugs him. She's tiny, her head against his chest and her small arms don't fit all the way around but it's warm and has so many emotions behind it that he can't grasp them all. He just hugs her back, hunching down so he's almost curled around her.

Black, always in the back of his head, is seemingly content with this and purrs approvingly at the semblance of peace he feels.

"Yuna?" The moment passes though, as she perks and her wings flutter a bit. She slides to the ground smiling happily, if sleepily, at Keith as the other appears from the bathroom door. "How about a bath, little dragon? Then we can get some food and sleep a whole week away."

She giggles, shaking her head. "Daddy, sleeping that much isn't healthy." She chides, "And dragons don't like water!" She curls her fingers into pretend claws, giving a cute little roar that Shiro chokes at hearing because it's just too adorable coupled with the little yawn that escapes right after.

"This one does. I distinctly remember someone refusing to get out of the water on Terron because they were having too much fun swimming."

"Daddy."

Shiro cocks his head, eyebrows raising. This sounds more like a match between parents. Keith has that amused but serious parent tone going while Yuna has a hand on her hip and voice brimming with full seriousness and scolding.

"Mako and I pulled _you_ out cause you almost drowned."

"Oh it's _Mako_ now huh? I thought he was just that stupid feather brain." Keith is grinning, stepping aside as Yuna walks into the bathroom and following her in a second later, leaving the door ajar just slightly. "You can stay, Shiro." He calls.

Shiro's well aware he can, imagines it's more said for Yuna so she knows he's still there. Leaning back and smiling slightly at Yuna's faint answer to Keith as he settles down to wait.

"He is a stupid feather brain! He's just a really fun stupid feather brain." She states like it's the most obvious and happy thing she's ever said. "Who uses feathers to fly, Daddy! It's scales or armor!"

"Yuna an entire race uses feathers to fly. And the birds from Earth use feathers too."

It's…domestic, Shiro thinks. He can almost picture the entire thing happening back home. He can imagine Anita, their caretaker, laughing in the kitchen and gossiping to her neighbors about her cute new little granddaughter, how amazing a father the youngest of her boys is and how amazing of an uncle Shiro is.

He misses Anita, her death hadn't been easy.

"It's just so weird." He has to tune back in, focusing on the conversation in the bathroom.

"Says the fire hazard who's been hiding _someone's_ feather in her hair!"

"Um…"

"We'll wash it too and I'll braid it back in." Keith sooths gently. "How do your wings feel?"

"They kind of hurt. The water stings."

"Lance has a lotion we can try after we eat. Here, dry off while I get your hair, kiddo. Then we can groom your scales."

"Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"Can we teach Shiro how to groom my scales too?"

"Are you sure?" He doesn't hear a verbal answer, "Alight then. I'm sure he'd like that."

He would. Shiro hasn't often been around children, the closest thing being Pidge but he _does_ know how hard it is to earn trust. It had taken him months to earn Keith's, to be someone Keith knew he could _always_ lean on no matter what. Somehow, maybe because of their mutual understanding and maybe because Keith himself trusted him enough to leave her alone with him, he'd gained Yuna's. Trust was something Shiro took very, very seriously and he had no intentions of breaking it. He could already tell he was going to end up doing anything the little Halfling wanted so long as it didn't put her or anyone else in danger.

Lance tilted his head, feeling his lips twitch in effort not to start laughing at the cuteness as Yunalesca- _"Just Yuna!" She protested with a wrinkle of her nose._ \- copied the movement as they stared at each other. He rolled his neck to tilt the other way, hearing Hunk snicker when Yuna did the same. With a quick move he reached out and tapped the end of her nose.

"Boop."

Pink and gold eyes went cross eyed before she stared at him in surprise. "B…oop?"

Lance chuckled, grinning widely. "Boop." He confirmed.

Currently they were all once more spread out in what had long been serving as what might as well be their living room. Shiro and Keith were both sitting on the floor behind the Halfling, looking her wings over and muttering quietly between themselves.

Lance had taken it upon himself to plop down in front of her to keep her entertained, amused more than anything at the way she watched and copied practically everything he did. She was as adorable as the twins back home, Maya and Victor would've probably roped Yuna into who knew what kind of trouble by now if he thought about it. They'd probably have vanished off to the beach or something with Victor crowing on and on about tide pools.

Blinking as a tiny finger appeared right in front of him, he almost screamed in surprise as it tapped his nose. "Boop." Yuna giggled, smiling brightly up at him happily.

"Lance don't corrupt her." Pidge muttered.

"Wha- how am I going to corrupt her?" He squawked, rounding on her with a scowl.

"By using her to hit on aliens." Pidge smirked at him.

"Which is not allowed." Allura added firmly with an amused smile.

"I wouldn't." Lance rolled his eyes, knowing they _did_ have enough evidence to think he would. Kids are a little different though. His mother had always told him that kids were important and raising them was a gift as well as a responsibility; essentially you were helping shape an entire person. Besides this kid was probably one of the few remaining Alteans out there, not to mention being _Keith's_ kid. Lance was good, he knew, but Keith would probably kick his ass six ways to Sunday- or whatever Sunday was in the alien space calendar he can't read.

"Hey Lance, do you have that lotion?"

"Hm?" He popped his head up, shaking off the teasing and passing it to Keith.

It was sort of…different.

Keith was usually pretty quiet and more often than not he was scowling at something or irritated at someone. He also generally avoided physical contact like it was the plague; Shiro was really the only exception to that. Yet here Keith was smiling, laughing and being…gentle. It was odd.

Then again, Lance wasn't stupid. As much hell as he'd give Keith, as much as he had once felt in adequate to him, he wasn't blind and he didn't hate him. He was a little jealous if he was honest; he would've been happy to help Keith with Yuna's scales, even more so he would likely die from heart failure if that soft smile was directed at him at any point.

He wasn't even sure when-

Oh.

 _Oh_.

He turned away, making a grab for his jacket and calling out that he was going to do some bonding with Blue.

 _When the hell did he start feeling anything like_ that _for_ Keith _?_

Pidge quirked a brow, sharing a look with Hunk. "You think he figured it out?"

"Probably." Hunk shrugged, humming as he went back to looking over the schematics she'd handed him earlier for their little project.

"Think he'll do anything about it?"

"Nope."

Pidge sighed, glancing at Keith who was looking at where Lance had gone in confusion while Shiro finished up with Yuna's wings. "Idiots."

"Yep."

"Hopeless idiots."

"Yep."

"We'll end up doing something to help, won't we?"

Hunk looked at her with one eye closed, sighed deeply. "Yep."


End file.
